Not always the case though.(More often than not though) There used to be a cute Mod girl in my year at school that looked like France Gall (c1964). I saw her a couple of years back and she looked like Sandy Gall.

Skinhead is more than merely a trend, it’s a way of life – well according to photographer Gavin Watson, writer and broadcaster Robert Elms, Mike Skinner and thousands of other individuals who have been involved in the movement, across the past four decades, it is, and they are right.

Introducing us to the ‘Spirit of 69’ campaign, Robert Elms told the story of his youth steeped in anecdotes of the era – from being jealous of his brother Reggie and his short-hair, denim jeans, braces, white socks and DM’s get-up (which drove his mother mad), to the style tips he took from the West Indian Families inhabiting Tower Hamlets at the time. Describing himself as a ‘youth culture archaeologist’, Elms transported us back to one of the most strident and striking movements ever experienced in the UK. The Bethnal Green boys were bored of the Mile End mods, they wanted the ‘tough stuff’. They were puritans, the sartorial brutalists of their age. “To look like that is not an accident,” says Elms. “Nothing in skinhead is an accident, it’s all planned and prescribed.”

Similarly for Watson, skinhead was a way of life. “The feeling was like heroin, it was an addiction for someone insecure,” he explained. But in a landscape where youths were bombarded by the sounds of Madness and The Specials and where skinheads received no positive press, Dr. Martens were the continuum in this story of cultural discovery. So re-adopting the 1969 significance that Dr. Martens possessed – trekking across London on a Saturday to the best stall in Shepherd’s Bush market to buy a pair of pristine boots with a cult record under your arm – this collection exemplifies the spirit of the era.

Sat in Bethnal Green Working Men’s club, feasting on a breakfast of English tea, marmalade on toast and Tunnock’s teacakes, there was no better place to screen the unique campaign film created by Mike Skinner which explored the sub-culture to nostalgic effect. Having also collaborated with other influential brands associated with the movement – Trojan Records, Edwin, Alpha and Brutus – the capsule collection was the perfect modern representation of back-to-basics skinhead style. Including tartan Brutus shirts, Edwin jeans, Alpha Industries MA-1 flight jackets, a Trojan Record bag and of course the original Dr. Martens models – the skinhead footwear of choice – this is quite possibly their most exciting collection to date.

The Dr. Martens ‘Spirit of 69′ collection will be available this September.

Skinhead is more than merely a trend, it’s a way of life – well according to photographer Gavin Watson, writer and broadcaster Robert Elms, Mike Skinner and thousands of other individuals who have been involved in the movement, across the past four decades, it is, and they are right.

Introducing us to the ‘Spirit of 69’ campaign, Robert Elms told the story of his youth steeped in anecdotes of the era – from being jealous of his brother Reggie and his short-hair, denim jeans, braces, white socks and DM’s get-up (which drove his mother mad), to the style tips he took from the West Indian Families inhabiting Tower Hamlets at the time. Describing himself as a ‘youth culture archaeologist’, Elms transported us back to one of the most strident and striking movements ever experienced in the UK. The Bethnal Green boys were bored of the Mile End mods, they wanted the ‘tough stuff’. They were puritans, the sartorial brutalists of their age. “To look like that is not an accident,” says Elms. “Nothing in skinhead is an accident, it’s all planned and prescribed.”

Similarly for Watson, skinhead was a way of life. “The feeling was like heroin, it was an addiction for someone insecure,” he explained. But in a landscape where youths were bombarded by the sounds of Madness and The Specials and where skinheads received no positive press, Dr. Martens were the continuum in this story of cultural discovery. So re-adopting the 1969 significance that Dr. Martens possessed – trekking across London on a Saturday to the best stall in Shepherd’s Bush market to buy a pair of pristine boots with a cult record under your arm – this collection exemplifies the spirit of the era.

Sat in Bethnal Green Working Men’s club, feasting on a breakfast of English tea, marmalade on toast and Tunnock’s teacakes, there was no better place to screen the unique campaign film created by Mike Skinner which explored the sub-culture to nostalgic effect. Having also collaborated with other influential brands associated with the movement – Trojan Records, Edwin, Alpha and Brutus – the capsule collection was the perfect modern representation of back-to-basics skinhead style. Including tartan Brutus shirts, Edwin jeans, Alpha Industries MA-1 flight jackets, a Trojan Record bag and of course the original Dr. Martens models – the skinhead footwear of choice – this is quite possibly their most exciting collection to date.

The Dr. Martens ‘Spirit of 69′ collection will be available this September.

Ah!Robert Elms again.A Skinhead expert at 10 years old(born in `59).He knows everything about the Mile End and the Bethnal Green Boys-even though he lived in Burnt Oak and was born in Hendon.I would never say I knew what went on in North London because I never went there.But that is the difference,every thing that is put up in the Subject he is there with his"expert" opinion.He was not there! He only watched his older Brothers and their Mates dressing up_no problem with that,but FFS leave the rest out Elms you are going on hearsay-end of
I never listen to his Show because his f*cking voice gets on my nerves.

Shame about that DM campaign, and an embarrassing amount of historical inaccuracies in that short passage. Specials and Madness the soundtrack to the late 60s-eh?!?!

Also sad to hear of Edwin's association with the campaign. They make some beautiful straight/slim leg selvedge jeans which work well with the look IMO but the ones they seem to have produced for the campaign look like scruffy drainpipe/skinny jean nonesense from those pics.

Granted I skim read and didn't realise that was part of a Gavin Watson quote but when you call your campaign the spirit of 69 and make no distinctions between discussing recollections of someone from the 60s and another from the 80s it does give a somewhat inaccurate depiction. That's all I was getting at.

Elms, is a self-serving upstart, who is intent on feathering his nest using the historical memories of those who are either unwilling, or unable to use the medium of radio, tv and written press. He then uses other ill-informed, media sources to present himself as someone who was there... we all know he knows fuckall, he's best ignored and starved of the oxygen of publicity he craves, and depends on so much.

Elms, is a self-serving palagiarist, who is intent on feathering his nest using the historical memories of those who are either unwilling, or unable to use the medium of illinformed, media sources to present himself as someone who was there... we all know he knows fuckall, he's best ignored and starved of the oxygen of publicity he craves, and depends on so much.

Don't like it, Robert? - sue me!

Sussed, mate!

Nice one Ed.I would do a pretty reasonable "Radio Show" about London,if I had the financial clout and the numerous "researchers" he has.

Well it's more like 'voices'. He seems to have about 20 different ones, depending on what subject he's spouting his platitudes on. And yeah, they're all bloody grating.
He's like a real life Leonard Zelig.

Nice to see old Film of Brixton(around `69),on the Hairy Bikers "Food Tour Of Britain".It showed the Market and the surrounding Streets.The Shop I visited there (FHW)to do Window Dressing,was in Electric Avenue.Next but one door along was a Record Shop that used to blast out Reggae all day long.Walking around the Market you has various Stalls,doing the same thing.It was great during the Lunch Breaks.